My 2011 MBA finally died today :(

[torana355]

After 8 years of flawless service my 2011 MBA died today. I was hoping it would hold out till Apple redesigned the keyboard in the new Airs and Pros but it was not to be. I'm now trying to think what direction to go, should I get a 2018 MBA and hope the keyboard holds up or do I go for something like a Dell XPS 13.

To people who own the 2018 MBA, what are your thoughts on the machine?

 

[Shirasaki]

Another alternative is to buy used 2015 MacBook Pro or that 13” cheapest MacBook Air from Apple. Both have good keyboard and still ok internals. You may want to swap the battery out for 2015 MacBook Pro though.

 

[torana355]

The more I read up on the Dell xps and the various issues people have with them the more I think i will just take a gamble with the 2018 MBA and its keyboard at least Apple will look after me if I have an issue with the machine.

 

[Ghost31]

The more I read up on the Dell xps and the various issues people have with them the more I think i will just take a gamble with the 2018 MBA and its keyboard at least Apple will look after me if I have an issue with the machine.

Can confirm. Had a dell. Replaced 3 times. Then got an air and didn’t have a single issue. Go for it man

 

[Macdctr]

As nice as the new MBA seem to be I can't deal with their butterfly keyboard issues... I recently picked up a 2015 11inch MBA fully spec'd instead for $380. That computer will last me until Apple takes their head out of their collective asses and permanently fix their keyboard issues...

 

[sracer]

After 8 years of flawless service my 2011 MBA died today. I was hoping it would hold out till Apple redesigned the keyboard in the new Airs and Pros but it was not to be. I'm now trying to think what direction to go, should I get a 2018 MBA and hope the keyboard holds up or do I go for something like a Dell XPS 13.

To people who own the 2018 MBA, what are your thoughts on the machine?

I don't know if they're still available in Sydney, but there are still places here, like Best Buy, that are still selling new 2017 Macbook Airs.

 

[torana355]

I don't know if they're still available in Sydney, but there are still places here, like Best Buy, that are still selling new 2017 Macbook Airs.

Yes they are available but only 400 less then a 2018 Air which makes it a hard choice.

 

[sracer]

Yes they are available but only 400 less then a 2018 Air which makes it a hard choice.

I can understand that, but for me, it was a no-brainer to buy a 2017 I7 MBA over any newer model.

 

[PaladinGuy]

My 2018 MBA keyboard broke in barely five months. Apple replaced the keyboard, but the day after I picked it up the computer wouldn’t turn on. Never had major issues like that with my previous Macs.

I sold the replacement computer they ended up giving me and got a Surface Laptop 2. I miss macOS, but I’m not risking anymore issues with the stupid keyboard.

Long story short, the keyboard is not fixed in the 2018 MBA. I doubt it is fixed in the tweaked version either, but I don’t know.

 

[Shirasaki]

Can confirm. Had a dell. Replaced 3 times. Then got an air and didn’t have a single issue. Go for it man

I also have a Dell and only ask for one motherboard replacement for a GPU issue. Since then, no return, no fix. I even upgrade it with 1TB SSD recently. Run almost 24*7. My MacBook Air 2014 also runs 24*7. Only got SSD replaced. So yeah. Either Dell or MacBook could be pretty solid.

 

[torana355]

I think im going to go with a Surface laptop 2, i can get one for 1200 aud, it has a good reliable keyboard, good overall build quality, is more powerful then the 2018 MBA with a 15 watt quadcore and is 470 dollars cheaper. I will use it for a few years till Apple fix thier quality control and keyboard issues.

 

[Shirasaki]

I think im going to go with a Surface laptop 2, i can get one for 1200 aud, it has a good reliable keyboard, good overall build quality, is more powerful then the 2018 MBA with a 15 watt quadcore and is 470 dollars cheaper. I will use it for a few years till Apple fix thier quality control and keyboard issues.

Yes. As long as the Windows world is not too bad for you, go ahead and enjoy it, the other side of the world.

 

[torana355]

Yes. As long as the Windows world is not too bad for you, go ahead and enjoy it, the other side of the world.

I much prefer OSX but it's good to mix it up im sure Windows 10 will make me appreciate just how great OSX is but I can't drop my hard earned on a flawed design. I hope Apple gets back to making great laptops very soon!

 

[MacRazySwe]

Go for the new Retina MacBook Air. You won’t be sorry!

It’s ridiculously thin and light. It’s snappy and handles everything I’ve thrown at it. It has a fantastic display and great speakers. Plus, you get Touch ID without the Touch Bar (personally not a fan). Mine has been absolutely flawless since I got it in November. The same goes for my girlfriends, and she’s really hard on her keyboard. Still, no issues at all.

Even if the keyboard would break, you would have four years of coverage. Four years!

I get the hassle of bringing in a computer for service. I’ve never had to and I’m hoping I never will, but still, I’d rather do that than deal with Windows everyday on my spare time. I’ve had win machines at work during the last three years and while it’s gotten a lot better, it’s still a pain at times. So many horrible upgrades that are forced upon the user at the most inconvenient times. Blue screens. App crashes. I can go on. Even something as simple as connecting/disconnecting external displays causes problems. Besides, even my premium Dell Quad Core i7 laptop workstation is way, way slower than my so-called “underpowered” MacBook Air in day to day use.

You might not need to worry about the keyboard, but you will have plenty of other issues with Windows.

 

[sracer]

Go for the new Retina MacBook Air. You won’t be sorry!

It’s ridiculously thin and light. It’s snappy and handles everything I’ve thrown at it. It has a fantastic display and great speakers. Plus, you get Touch ID without the Touch Bar (personally not a fan). Mine has been absolutely flawless since I got it in November. The same goes for my girlfriends, and she’s really hard on her keyboard. Still, no issues at all.

Even if the keyboard would break, you would have four years of coverage. Four years!

I get the hassle of bringing in a computer for service. I’ve never had to and I’m hoping I never will, but still, I’d rather do that than deal with Windows everyday on my spare time.

I understand that people make decisions based on their own first-hand experience (that is wise), but that seems to be a very sweeping dismissal of a critical issue. Apple themselves have admitted that the latest Macbook Airs have the same problem. Not everyone is within near proximity to an Apple store or authorized service center. Being without a computer for days or a week with deadlines approaching is no small matter.

I’ve had win machines at work during the last three years and while it’s gotten a lot better, it’s still a pain at times. So many horrible upgrades that are forced upon the user at the most inconvenient times. Blue screens. App crashes. I can go on. Even something as simple as connecting/disconnecting external displays causes problems. Besides, even my premium Dell Quad Core i7 laptop workstation is way, way slower than my so-called “underpowered” MacBook Air in day to day use.

You might not need to worry about the keyboard, but you will have plenty of other issues with Windows.

Those other issues with Windows can be tamed without much fuss simply by googling for solutions. On the other hand, there's nothing a person can do to prevent the keyboard failure on the new MBA.

I'm not a fan of Windows, I work with it every day. I much prefer macOS-based devices. But I'm not going to reward a company for their arrogance in selling products they know are defective. That sends a message to Apple that they don't have to change. I prefer to limit my purchase of Apple products to those devices that ARE of higher quality.

 

[Shirasaki]

Go for the new Retina MacBook Air. You won’t be sorry!

It’s ridiculously thin and light. It’s snappy and handles everything I’ve thrown at it. It has a fantastic display and great speakers. Plus, you get Touch ID without the Touch Bar (personally not a fan). Mine has been absolutely flawless since I got it in November. The same goes for my girlfriends, and she’s really hard on her keyboard. Still, no issues at all.

Even if the keyboard would break, you would have four years of coverage. Four years!

I get the hassle of bringing in a computer for service. I’ve never had to and I’m hoping I never will, but still, I’d rather do that than deal with Windows everyday on my spare time. I’ve had win machines at work during the last three years and while it’s gotten a lot better, it’s still a pain at times. So many horrible upgrades that are forced upon the user at the most inconvenient times. Blue screens. App crashes. I can go on. Even something as simple as connecting/disconnecting external displays causes problems. Besides, even my premium Dell Quad Core i7 laptop workstation is way, way slower than my so-called “underpowered” MacBook Air in day to day use.

You might not need to worry about the keyboard, but you will have plenty of other issues with Windows.

I also have one MacBook Air and one Dell Inspiron 1500. I only ever bring each computer for service once. For Dell, it is the technician meeting me at home for board replacement. For MacBook Air, it is me bringing the computer to Apple Store for replacing SSD. They run very well since then, and I rarely see BSOD on Windows. A bit ironic is MacBook Air runs noticeably slower than my Windows PC for some reason now.

I get it. Mileage may vary, but Windows is actually not that bad, and certainly not “way way slower” than Macbook counterpart assuming configuration is similar or the same. For Windows Update, I agree this is extremely annoying and one major reason I go for Windows 10 Enterprise. Group Policy is that powerful.

Four years keyboard coverage looks nice, but it also shows the confidence apple has for those keyboards: not very high. Windows may be annoying at times, but non-working keyboard can also be equally annoying and no software fix will save a broken keyboard.

 

[AustinIllini]

Love my 2018 MBA still. It's an amazing device and I have AppleCare and 4 years of keyboard warranty.

It's definitely an adjustment to type on at first, but I'm used to it.

 

[torana355]

Love my 2018 MBA still. It's an amazing device and I have AppleCare and 4 years of keyboard warranty.

It's definitely an adjustment to type on at first, but I'm used to it.

Well i might still get it, the Surface Laptop 2 special price ended before i could buy one. I might just take a risk with the keyboard on the 2018 MBA and hope for the best.

 

[617660]

After 8 years of flawless service my 2011 MBA died today. I was hoping it would hold out till Apple redesigned the keyboard in the new Airs and Pros but it was not to be. I'm now trying to think what direction to go, should I get a 2018 MBA and hope the keyboard holds up or do I go for something like a Dell XPS 13.

To people who own the 2018 MBA, what are your thoughts on the machine?

2011 MBA owner here too. How did yours die? User error or it just quits?

 

[Ghost31]

I think im going to go with a Surface laptop 2, i can get one for 1200 aud, it has a good reliable keyboard, good overall build quality, is more powerful then the 2018 MBA with a 15 watt quadcore and is 470 dollars cheaper. I will use it for a few years till Apple fix thier quality control and keyboard issues.

Just a quick FYI, surface books and pros have a bunch of reliability issues. Look into it. I’d hate for you to trade one possible issue for another. I myself have had pros and surface books and had a terrible experience

 

[Mainsail]

For warranty repairs, does anyone know if Apple is replacing MBA keyboards with the new 2019 keyboard, or are they just replacing in kind?

 

[Ghost31]

For warranty repairs, does anyone know if Apple is replacing MBA keyboards with the new 2019 keyboard, or are they just replacing in kind?

If it’s the 2018 and newer air, they replace it with the new keyboard

 

[torana355]

2011 MBA owner here too. How did yours die? User error or it just quits?

It just stopped powering up one day, out of nowhere.

 

[rdowty]

After 8 years of flawless service my 2011 MBA died today. I was hoping it would hold out till Apple redesigned the keyboard in the new Airs and Pros but it was not to be. I'm now trying to think what direction to go, should I get a 2018 MBA and hope the keyboard holds up or do I go for something like a Dell XPS 13.

To people who own the 2018 MBA, what are your thoughts on the machine?

I've only had keyboard issues with the 2016 model but would feel a lot better if I were in your position if Apple updated the keyboard on the Air to at least what is in the '19 MBP. If you're near an Apple Store I wouldn't worry about it since they can fix it in a day now.

 

[TheSkywalker77]

If Apple is going to redesign the MBP / MBA in 2020 (as some rumours and history have said) you might be able to get a cheaper Windows laptop or an older used Mac to use as a burner laptop until they redesign the machines.